Cantillon Iris

Vintage 2004 (bottled 2006 according to the cap) from West Lakeview Liquours, Chicago. Hazy dull orange with slim beige head. Aroma is funky not a fresh funky but kind of older and earthier, a little sour, and bitter/acidic quality. Earthy tartness like cranberries or sour fruit is the first flavor that hits my tongue with lemon and other citrus, grapefruit, off-dry. Medium to and surpringly creamy tartness. Nice, but I feel that it is missing something.

Bottle shared by gueuzelover. Pours a cloudy orange dull color with a spritzy, non-lasting white head. Smell is sour peach, funky barnyard and fruity. Flavor was exceptionally dry to me, with almost no sweetness, and a light sour vinegary character and bland fruity notes than need a little more sweetness to make them pop. Honestly not too impressive flavorwise for me, with a thin dry unsweetened apricot or peach sourness. Unique and while not bad, didn’t wow me with its dullness of flavors, complex as they were.

Musky, hay, yeast, and apricot aroma. Light yellow, cloudy a lot of sediment , no head. Tart sweet to sour acidic fruit flavor. Dry hop finish. Smooth Palate.

My favorite from Cantillon! Beautifully hoppy nose with hints of wood. Best when enjoyed at the brewery! A perfect blend of the hoppy ale and lambic tartness. A dry not overly bitter finish with earthy notes. One of the only Lambics made using the true open top fermentation process. A must for true beer connoisseurs.

37.5cl bottle, 2003 vintage, via magic dave6. Pours a slightly hazy dark gold body under a thin fizzy beige head that settled to a wispy covering. Some light visible carbonation. The nose is full-on classic Cantillon funkiness. Moldy basement, barnyard, just light sourness, stinky feet, and just very earthy. The flavor is very sour and incredibly funky. It’s kinda like licking sweaty feet, yet I love it! It’s just so raw and and untamed. Not as cheesy and acidic as their gueuzes, it tastes old and relaxed. A little oakiness on the finish. Mouthfeel is bone dry and sharp with nice soft carbonation, just enough to keep it interesting. This was pretty great. Just all funk and minimal acidity, my prefect Lambic. Could have gone for a 75cl bottle of this bad boy.

2004 Vintage. Somewhere between orange and brown, this beer is hazy and forms a 2 finger off white head. No lacing, ok retention. Expected for a lambic. Aroma includes vinous grapiness, some apple, overtly tart. Tastes funkier than James Brown. Sour, lactic, acidic, but oh so good. Crabapple comes through strong. Kind of winey. Though the head dissipates pretty fast, the carbonation is alive in well in the liquid, though maybe a little subdued from the 3 years it has been aged. As is the norm for gueuzes and lambics, the tart finish begs you to have another sip. 750 mL bottle is easily finished, great refresher for summer.

The pour reveals a cloudy amber color with a medium white head. The aroma doesn’t have the usual Cantillon punch in the face, it’s more about subtelty and nuances, there’s wood, sourness, wild yeast and mild cheese, it also feels musty. The flavor is a bit more powerfull than the aroma, again, wood, sourness, wild yeast and cheese are detected, there’s also a very mild hops flavor and it’s citric. The body has a medium thickness with an oily and slightly dusty texture and gentle carbonation. This is a very interesting lambic, but I prefer gueuzes.

2004 Vintage: A classic of the genre. Pongy, sour and citrus fruits; ultra tangy. Quite and stern sour fruits run right through the palate, all serious stuff. Low fizz, as expected. Has at least 3 years left in it.